Device to actuate helmet visors, particularly for motorcyclists

Abstract

A device presents a tube, fixed to the wall of a helmet and guides for a slide, which can be moved along said guides by means of a cable S. The slide keeps hinged the visor B through a clutch connection, having a pinion which engages a rack 28D fixed to a support. The movement of the slide in one direction X, at first releases the ends of the visor from the shoulder of the helmet and afterwards engages the pinion with the rack, and this induces a swinging movement of the visor B around its pivots.

I claim: 
     
       1. A device for actuating a visor of a helmet, said helmet having a front aperture bounded by a ledge for housing the peripheral portion of said visor comprising: first and second hinges connected to support said visor for angular rotation and linear motion into and out of communication with said ledge;   first and second guides located on opposite sides of said helmet;   first and second pinions connected to rotate said hinges and visor, said pinions being located within said guides;   first and second slide elements connected to each of said pinions for linearly displacing said pinions whereby said visor is linearly moved away from said helmet ledge;   first and second racks disposed within said guides for engaging said pinions when said visor has been displaced from said helmet ledge whereby said visors are angularly displaced by continued linear movement of said pinions; and p1 a control element for linearly displacing said slide elements within said guides whereby said visor is linearly displaced to and from said ledge and angularly rotated.   
     
     
       2. A device according to claim 10 characterized in that guides for said sliders extend for a length greater than the length of teeth of said rack when said visor (B) is lowered and its edge is housed in said ledge of the helmet. 
     
     
       3. A device according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the pinion has in an eccentric position a pin which engages with a slot extending for a tract of limited length in parallel with said guides and which substantially terminates at one end of said racks with a larger tract for disengaging said pin when the rack and pinion mesh. 
     
     
       4. A device according to claim 1 characterized in that a pinion gear is provided in an end of a connection rod hinged to an end of a slider and which holds, through a pin plate supporting a bushing for the visor. 
     
     
       5. A device according to claim 4 characterized in that said guides toward their ends, have a prong to engage ends of said connecting rod and to disengage an edge of the visor from said ledge of the helmet. 
     
     
       6. A device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that it has clutch gaskets interposed between the hinges for the visor and said pinions. 
     
     
       7. A device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that the racks and guides are provided in a supporting plate which may be secured to the structure of said helmet. 
     
     
       8. A device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that a control means of flexible means operatively connects said sliders to toothed rods cooperating with a pinion secured to an actuating button fitted rotatably in the helmet's body. 
     
     
       9. A device for actuating a visor of a helmet, said helmet having a front aperture bounded by a ledge for housing the peripheral portion of said visor comprising: hinges connecting first and second portions of said helmet by means of pins, said pins permitting angular rotation of said visor when said visor periphery is displaced from said ledge;   first and second guides located on said helmet for supporting said hinges;   first and second slides located in said guides for linear motion therein;   an assembly of a rack and pinion located in each of said guides, one of said rack and pinion being connected to a slider the remaining of said rack and pinion being fixed with respect to said helmet, said rack and pinion being engaged only during a portion of the travel of said slides;   means for imparting a motion to said sliders displacing said visor away from said helmet followed by rotation of said visor as said rack and pinion engages.   
     
     
       10. A device according to claim 1 or 9, further comprising a clutch connected between said hinges and pinions restricting the angular displacement of said visor. 
     
     
       11. A device according to claims 1 or 9, further comprising means for inhibiting rotation of said pinions when said pinions are free of said racks. 
     
     
       12. A device for actuating a visor of a helmet, said helmet having a front aperture a portion thereof being bounded by a ledge for housing an edge of said visor comprising: first and second hinges connected to said visor;   first and second tracks on said helmet for supporting said hinges for linear motion whereby said visor edge is permitted to move into and out of said ledge;   a control element for providing linear motion to said hinges; and   means for imparting an angular rotation to said hinges when said visor has been displaced from said ledge in response to continued linear movement of said hinges in said tracks.